Luke Steidlmayer Continues to Impress

Dennis Savage

06/20/2005

As things wrap up in the Class A leagues the races are heating up in the PCL and Southern League. Dale Thayer is ready for crunch time, Jesse Garcia might not be, and Paul McAnulty and Casey Baker have been ready for awhile now.

Portland lost 3-1

Tim Redding made his second
rehab start in Portland in his recovery from a strained right shoulder and
so far, so good. He allowed just one run on three hits and two walks over
six innings of work, bringing his total since joining Portland to one run in
ten innings with two no-decisions. Redding was 0-5 with San Diego in seven
games, six starts, while posting a 8.76 ERA.

Jason Kershner, who hadn't
allowed a hit in his previous six appearances, took the loss when two runs
crossed the plate in the eight on three hits. He had been 4-0 with a 1.62
ERA with Portland prior to Sunday and even with the three-hit, two run
outing, he is still holding the opposition to a .154 batting average
against.

Jesse Garcia is in the
midst of a 3-for-44 slump over his last 12 games, including 0-for-4 while
hitting into a double play on Sunday. Over this 12 game stretch he has
walked just once and has two for the year in 32 games. He has struck out
nine times over the last 12 and 17 times on the year.

Mobile won 5-2

Jose Oyervidez allowed just
three hits in 5.2 innings of work but two runs crossed the plate with the
help of four walks. Oyervidez has allowed just 58 hits in 75.1 innings of
work but he has walked 42. Sunday marked the tenth time in 14 starts that
Oyervidez has allowed four or fewer hits. It is also the seventh time he
has walked four or more.

Luke Carlin, filling in for
an injured Nick Trzesniak, threw out the only baserunner attempting to steal
and has nailed 11 of the last 20 thieves. Carlin also contributed at the
plate, going 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI's. When Carlin bats seventh,
as he did on Sunday, he is hitting .320.

Dale Thayer earned his 13th
save in 15 chances, striking out two in an inning of work. Since allowing
four runs on May 1, Thayer has given up six earned in 21 appearances. Three
of those runs came on June 1 – perhaps signifying a pattern that says he
should be off on July 1? He has whiffed 35 in 30.2 innings this year.

Clark Girardeau gave up
five runs, three earned, on a season-high 11 hits in 5.2 innings of work.
It is the seventh time in 14 starts over two leagues that he has given up
four or more runs. Since rejoining the Storm, Girardeau has given up 54
hits in 45.2 innings. In four June starts he has a 5.16 ERA and the
opposition is hitting .323 off him.

Fernando Valenzuela Jr. ran
his hitting streak to eight games – which has raised his average four points
from .316 to .320. He went 1-for-5 on Sunday and is 11-for-33 over the
streak. Valenzuela drove in two and has RBI's in each of his past three
games. He has just one extra base hit over the streak and has hit into
three double plays, including one on Sunday and has hit into five double
plays over he last nine games.

Adam Bourassa went 4-for-5
with a walk, homer, and three runs scored. Bourassa came to the Storm with
just six runs scored, no homers, six RBI's and 21 hits in 31 games for
Bakersfield of the California League. In 14 Strom games he is hitting .370
with 11 runs, 20 hits, two homers and eight RBI's. Bourassa was also
credited with two outfield assists on Sunday, including one at home plate to
help the Storm eventually earn a victory.

Fort Wayne lost 4-3

Luke Steidlmayer pitched
five innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks
on Sunday in a no-decision. The righty hasn't allowed more than three runs
in seven consecutive starts and has only allowed more in one outing. He has
also allowed six or fewer hits in each of his past seven starts and has a
.212 average against on the year.

In his second game back,
Ryan Klatt took the loss, allowing a run on two hits in one-third of an
inning of work. Klatt has given up four huts and two runs in his inning and
a third of work for the Wizards. Klatt allowed runs in consecutive games
just once in 2004 and the streak lasted three games.

A day after homering and
notching three hits, Peter Ciofrone went 2-for-4 with another RBI. Ciofrone
has knocked in a run in 13 of his last 16 games and ironically has knocked
in more than one run just once. After netting three RBI's through the month
of April, Ciofrone has 29 through May and June. Thirteen of his 65 hits on
the year have gone for extra bases.